Unpopped popcorn kernels have been coated or packaged in a vegetable fat or oil, flavor and salt. The fat layer serves to fry the popcorn during heating and also serves as a coating for the added salt, colorings or various other flavorings. The fat layer also causes adherence to some extent of the salt and flavoring to the surface of the popped kernels. The required oil or fat results in an oily and greasy texture and feel as well as a high calorie content in the popped kernels. There has been greater emphasis in recent years in developing a substantially fat-free flavored popcorn product. A number of past attempts have been hampered by the inability to coat the popcorn kernels with flavor and salt in the absence of a fat layer. Typically, the flavor and salt separate from the unpopped popcorn kernels and accumulate on the bottom of the bag, thereby contributing only aroma during microwaving or cooking but no flavor during consumption.
A number of patents have issued directed to different methods for preparing popcorn products as exemplified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,519,439; 3,704,133; 3,843,814; 3,851,574; 3,882,255; 3,961,091; 4,096,281; 4,571,337; 4,751,090; 4,767,635; 4,880,646; 4,888,186; 4,904,487; 4,904,488 and 5,132,125. While these patents have focused on various attempts to improve methods for the preparation of flavored popped corn, these methods are still hampered by the inability to coat kernels with flavor and salt in the absence of a fat layer. Thus, there has been no satisfactory fat-free or low-fat popcorn product that has the combined properties of superior popping ability, shelf-life stability, flavor and salt retention, mouth-feel and texture.
It would be very desirable to provide a method for preparing flavored unpopped popcorn kernels having superior popping ability, flavor and salt retention, yet that are substantially fat-free. It would also be desirable to provide microwavable popcorn kernels that have the no-fat or low-fat properties, yet with mouth-feel and texture upon being consumed.